We have been saying our goodbyes to friends and neighbors in Ghent. Friday I went to a special B.A.E.F. luncheon (B.A.E.F. provides my funding here), where I said thank you to the B.A.E.F. staff, and Katie, Wes, Vera, and I said goodbye to Brussels. Saturday I had my last clarinet choir concert, so I had to say goodbye to many friends from the Ghent clarinet studio. Sunday we had a goodbye tea with our upstairs neighbor, Jasmien, and were later treated to a goodbye snack session with Danre and Gawein at Frituur Sint-Jacob. And today, Monday, Wes said goodbye to the Paddington ride in Zuid shopping mall.
Goodbye Grand Place
Jasmien and Wes
Snacking at Frituur Sint-Jacob
Goodbye, Paddington!
Wes and Paddington (September, 2009)
Being in a reflective mood tonight, I was reading back over some of my early blog posts, made just after our arrival in Belgium. Not surprisingly, many of my feelings about Ghent (and music, and kids, etc.) have evolved over the 9+ months that we’ve been here. In some cases, I discovered that I had even written some factually inaccurate things. For example, in September I wrote a few lines about fries. I said that Frituur Sint-Jacob has “been run by the same family through several generations,” but I now know that the stand was sold a few of years ago AFTER having been run by the same family through several generations. I also wrote that “most people choose mayonnaise” to go with their fries. Really, I was in no position to make such a statement after only a few weeks in Belgium, and it turns out that people choose from a myriad of sauces (cocktail, andalouse, curry ketchup, samurai, etc.) and most often do NOT choose mayonnaise. I wrote in the caption that the fries stand is “in Bij Sint-Jacobs,” but I now know that the Dutch word “bij” means “by” or “at,” so “in Bij Sint-Jacobs” is redundant. I have also learned that fries are just one of many fried treats that people order at the frituur. So, even about something as seemingly simple as “French” fries (a misnomer), I’ve learned a lot this past year. I like to think that most of my fact checking throughout the blog is better than in this one instance, but I’m definitely not the last word.
Belgian fries
Deep-fried bonanza, Belgian style, courtesy of Danre and Gawein
Prior to leaving Belgium, we squeezed in a visit to the dentist. Wes had his first check-up, and I had a very effective ultra-sonic cleaning of my lower front teeth, all for a total of 79 Euro. We waited just ten minutes, and the whole thing lasted about half-an-hour. Based on our experiences with the Belgian health care system, and having talked to a number of Americans living in various other European countries, I’ve concluded that the U.S. healthcare system needs improving, to put it mildly. If I had a lot health issues, I wouldn’t think twice about seeking care outside of the U.S. In fact, if you need major dental work done, I recommend that you consider a medical vacation to Belgium. You can get a European vacation AND your dental work for less than the price of the dental work alone back home. Here is the name of the great, affordable dentist we visited, and whom Katie picked more-or-less randomly from the phone book: Tandarts VERBEKE, 9000 Gent, +32 (0)9 221 67 94
Wes's first check-up. He's fine.
Satisfied customers
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